Penn State'sCommitmentTo CombatSubstance Abuse

The Penn State Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse

Motivated by the opioid epidemic that is deeply affecting communities across the nation, Penn State is consolidating its resources to address the opioid crisis and the larger problems of substance abuse in Pennsylvania and beyond via its newly launched Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA). CCSA will draw on the expertise of researchers, educators, and practitioners from Penn State campuses across the state to develop and implement effective programs, policies, and practices aimed at preventing and treating addiction and its spillover effects on children, families, and communities.

Pennsylvania has been hit especially hard by the opioid epidemic, particularly its rural communities: Our state has consistently been among the top 10 in the nation in overdose deaths; in 2017, we lost 5,456 Pennsylvanians. At Penn State, we are working to inform discussions at the local, state and national levels and to develop the most effective and efficient ways forward. Here we outline distinctive, interdisciplinary, and translational strengths and resources that Penn State faculty, staff and students are bringing to bear in research, education, and outreach efforts to combat substance abuse.

Opportunities

The rapid growth and spread of the opioid epidemic and its tragic consequences demand Penn State’s best efforts. The University has a strong foundation on which to build an interdisciplinary and translational initiative to address opioid and other substance abuse, and such an agenda is in keeping with our land grant mission. The Penn State Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse is leveraging the University’s research, education, and outreach capacities toward a world free from addiction. To advance this mission Penn State has provided funds for a range of new activities.

Outreach

Penn State collaborates with state and local partners via our 24 geographically dispersed campuses and 67 cooperative extension offices to leverage our vast scope of researcher-practitioner experience to support, inform, and improve programs across the life-cycle of diseases of addiction.

New Announcements

Education

The Penn State community is creating lasting impacts through educating one another, our students, and the public by disseminating new, evidence-based programs, policies, and practices to better understand and to prevent opioid use and other substance abuse and treat addiction.